Grantland, an affiliate website of ESPN, ranked Pacquiao and Donaire first and seventh, respectively, in their “Relevance Rankings,” wherein they “blend traditional pound-for-pound criteria with assorted Q-rating quotients.”

“The goal is to strike a 50-50 balance between ability and marketability, but the former always plays some role in the latter,” said writer Eric Raskin, former managing editor of The Ring magazine.

Raskin admitted that he had a tough time rating Pacquiao as the no. 1 “most relevant” boxer instead of undefeated American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr., who eventually placed no. 2.

“I changed my mind about the order of the top two a dozen times,” he said. “I believe Floyd Mayweather, at this moment, to be the best fighter in the world. But the Relevance Rankings is considerably more complicated.”

Face of boxing

Raskin believes that Mayweather is the top pay-per-view attraction in boxing as well as the top pound-for-pound fighter, but added that he “keep(s) coming back to Pac-Man as the right guy to place atop this list.”

“If you put their faces on a billboard in Times Square, which fighter would a greater percentage of folks walking down the street recognize?” he asked.

“It’s fair to say that eight or nine out of 10 everyday Americans know former Dancing with the Stars contestant Mayweather. But somewhere in the vicinity of 95 out of 100 know the smiling, goateed mug of that Filipino boxer who sings on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Every six months,” Raskin said.

“Manny Pacquiao, in part because he’s the ‘good guy’ and an ambassador we’re more comfortable with, is the face of boxing in the 2012.”

Global appeal

The Relevance Rankings were created from a “USA-centric” point-of-view, Raskin said, but he cannot ignore Pacquiao’s global appeal.

“If you were part of a boxing fantasy keeper league, where maximum points would be earned by fighting frequently, engaging in 12-rounders, appearing on HBO or Showtime, and of course, winning, Donaire would be one of the first guys drafted.”

Raskin said at 29-years old, Donaire is relatively young, reliable for three to two fights a year, all of which will be shown on HBO or Showtime, and all fights will most likely end with him as a winner.

“If you’re drafting a fighter you expect to hold on to for three to five years, there isn’t a safer pick in the sport,” he added.

Donaire is also a marketable boxer, being an “American citizen who speaks perfect English (with an engaging personality),” but he also has a strong Filipino fan base, Raskin said.

Donaire is far from a perfect boxer, and Raskin notes that he makes technical mistakes and suffers from “inconsistency issues.”